I Need to Buy This Mug

Since have been working my husband has been watching our son. He has been doing great with him and I am so happy for our little family! Its a change for us, me being the one working but its been great for all of us.

When I was at the store I was so tempted to buy this coffee cup for him. How sweet would it be for him to carry around this cup proclaiming he loves me, better yet how funny would it be for me to make him lol.

If it was just a tad manlier saying "I Love My Wife" I so would have got it.

Stuffed Pumpkin Project

Halloween is in just a couple of days and I wanted to get in one more Halloween craft in with the boys before we start making their class treats and snacks. I wanted it to be simple and easy, something they both could do and enjoy. Along with that I wanted to use items we already had around the house, a cost free fun project. So we came up with "Stuffed Pumpkins" and they were a hit!

Our supplies: Brown roll of packing paper, newspaper, orange paint, scissors, paintbrushes and a stapler.

First I cut out a big piece of brown packing paper long enough so I could fold it in half to make a front and a back side to staple together once we started to stuff them. Then "free handed" a giant pumpkin. It doesn't have to be perfect, pumpkins are never perfectly round anyways right?

Next I let the boys paint their pumpkin, it didn't matter if they went out of the lines, we were going to cut them out anyway.

Then I helped/let them draw a pumpkin face. My 5 year old wanted a scary mouth with nice eyes and mean eyebrows.

After the paint dried we cut the pumpkin out which ends up being two pieces of paper back to back the same size (see the two pieces he is stapling here). Not perfectly cut because he still needed to be stapled and stuffed. We stapled around over half the pumpkin before we even started to stuff him so that the newspaper wouldn't fall out. I let my 5 year old use the kids style stapler, he was really cautious and loved being able to staple to his hearts desire.

Last they stuffed their pumpkins with the crumpled newspaper!! As they got fuller and fuller we stapled more and more around the edges to close them up. Then when they were stuffed and stapled I trimmed the edges off with scissors to give them a cleaner look.

Here they are with their finished Stuffed Pumpkins!!! One for each of them and the little one for their baby sister, so sweet.

My "Mom" Cookies.......Yes I Hide Them lol

I am in Cookie LOVE! I have always enjoyed Pepperidge Farm Cookies. They are to me a Mom cookie. The ones you savor, hide in the back of the cupboard and after the kids are in bed you sit down and enjoy, or wait is that just what I do lol. My Mom would have a little bag of this brand in the house and they were special cookies to get one. I liked that, they seemed more cool than a chips a hoy or an oreo. Now as a Mom myself I so get why these are a special Mom cookie. I recently spotted this limited edition cookie Caramel Apple Pie. YUM! I so recommend buying these if you are a soft cookie fan and stick them far in the back of the cupboard lol. :)

iD Stride Gum Funny Bald Eagle Commercial #idgum

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, iD GUM.


I laughed so much when I saw this commercial over the weekend on tv. I dont know what it is about a Bald Eagle in a Wig but it sure made me giggle! When my son was an infant I would put wigs on him too just to be silly, maybe that why its so funny on a bald eagle too since they both are so cute and bald! 

I have been enjoying the iD Gum all week at work. Its great for after lunch and on my breaks to freshen my breath to go back to work. I love the minty fresh feeling it leaves well after your done with the gum. The little packs that the gum come in are great. They stay shut, are super thin to stick in a pocket or purse and have little art on them. I have had people comment on a few of the cases.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, iD GUM.

You can follow iD Gum on Twitter and Facebook


*This is a sponsored post from our friends at iD GUM.

What's for dinner tonight?

With the weather feeling like fall outside, this is what I made for dinner tonight. I just love how it comes to the top of the dish and is so golden brown!

Paula Deen's Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients: 

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/2 cup frozen green pea
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups instant biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas.
3. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired; pour over the layers.
4. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole.
5. Drizzle butter over the topping.
6. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Serves: 4-6

** I love this recipe and serve it to my family at least once a month. It is so easy and so good! I follow the recipe pretty closely, the only changes I made is I don't put in the hard boiled eggs. It tasted strange to us the first time we tried it so we took it out. And I use half a stick of melted butter, have to cut the calories out somewhere right? ENJOY!!!

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Sad Giraffe Needed a Balloon

 Last weekend we went to a local Halloween event. My son had fun but at times he was annoyed that his giraffe costume from last year no longer sat on his head correctly making him a sad little giraffe. Cookies, a lollypop, stuffed animals, still a little sad. But when he got a balloon and a bag of candy he was happy. We  are headed out in the morning to get him a costume for this year Halloween Trick or Treat. I am so late on getting it but thankfully we saw the one we wanted for him in the weekly Target ad.

Healthy Snacking With Del Monte's Delicious New Fruit Cup Flavors #SmartSnack #CBias

By Patricia

My family has always been big snack lovers. When I was raising my five children, snacks played a very important role in their daily diets. I was always on the hunt for healthy snacks, but they were always something that I had to put together myself, and that was always very time consuming. Times have certainly changed and I love how easy and convenient snacks have become.

I now have small grandchildren that I am lucky enough to spend a lot of time with. As with all children, snacks and treats are a fun and important part of our time together. I love being the Nana that provides treats, but I also want them to eat healthy foods. I felt like I was giving them too many treats, so I decided that I would find snacks that are both healthy and that they would still enjoy.

My family has loved Del Monte fruit for many years, and more recently, the Del Monte fruit cups. I went to Walmart the other day to pick some up, and was happy to discover two new flavors.

I knew Diced Apples & Pears with Caramel flavor would appeal to my grandsons. I like that these fruit cups are one whole serving of fruit per cup, are loaded with Vitamin C, and contain no High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Diced Pears with Vanilla & Spice are the other new flavor of fruit cups I found. These new flavors remind me of fall, so it's the perfect time for them to be coming out.

Del Monte fruit cups are so easy and convenient to eat. They really make a great at home or on the go snack. They are also only 60 calories per serving, and gluten free. #SnackSmart

My five year old grandson has become a snack "expert". After a couple of years in preschool and now being in kindergarten, he knows what snacks he likes and what he doesn't.

He has eaten Del Monte fruit cups before and he has a favorite kind that I try to keep on hand. When I told him this new flavor had caramel in it, he was very happy, so this is the flavor he chose to try.

 

My two year old grandson wanted to try out the Diced Pears with Vanilla & Spice. He's too little to tell me exactly how he feels about them, but he does know what he likes.

After eating one fruit cup he took it upon himself to try and open another one to eat. I'd say he definitely likes these new flavors of Del Monte fruit cups.

I'll be picking up more of these new Diced Pears with Vanilla & Spice, and the Diced Apples & Pears with Caramel flavors.

I tried both kinds myself and I really like them too. I could taste a nice hint of the caramel, and the vanilla and spice were not overpowering, but just right. I do advise shaking them up a little so that all the flavoring is not on the bottom of the cup. Pears are actually one of my favorite fruits and it was nice to enjoy them with these new flavors. I'm very happy to be giving my grandsons snacks that are delicious and healthy for them.

Although I did buy the new Del Monte fruit cups for my grandsons, I like them too, so I tucked a couple in my purse to eat when I am busy and on the go. I love how they are only 60 calories each and just sweet enough so that I will be satisfied eating one instead of grabbing a snack that is loaded with sugar and calories.

If you'd like to know more about these Del Monte fruit cups and other Del Monte products, go to their website. You can also visit them on Facebook and Twitter. If you'd like to see my shopping experience at Walmart, check out my Google+ photo album.

If you would like to try the delicious New Flavors of Del Monte with your family there is a coupon for $0.50 off the product when you buy it at Walmart. Click here to redeem your free coupon.

* I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Del Monte #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Preschool trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Liam pumpkin picking and pointing.

Who needs a pumpkin when they have this great ROCK collection!

I told him he could take a pumpkin home, but for the life of me I could not get him to let go of the rocks! BOYS!!

Super Dad! The hubby with Ashley in the pack while pushing Liam on the bike.

I was there too!

eShakti Houndstooth Jacket Review

 ~By Laura

With the winter almost here I know I will need to be buying a few coats. For me as a plus size Mom I have less choices of what I can buy in the store than other moms. I do however find great things online or in department stores that tend to last a few seasons because of the quality of items. Since I have been working more I find I have even less time to go out shopping. Being able to shop online for nice clothing makes shopping much easier for me. My sister recommended eShakti to me since she has a few products from them and mentioned they also carry a variety of sizes.

I have been loving the trend of Houndstooth and found the perfect coat with big buttons that look great! I am in love with this coat, it fits true to size, is very warm and super cute.

Color: Black/off-white

Go bold in our dynamic black and white houndstooth jacket featuring a double-breasted button style on a classic silhouette.

• Notch collar, long sleeves.
• Princess seamed to shape.
• Front welt pockets.
• Hip length.
• Lined in polynylon taffeta.
• Polyester/acrylic, woven, no stretch, heavier weight.
• Dry clean.

I have found many other super cute items I would love for my wardrobe from eShakti

You can learn more about eShakti on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

*I was not paid for this post. I was sent a eShakti item for my review. All opinions in the this post are my own.